Cheapest stove for thru hike...

[whitefoot_hp]

I am wondering what the cheapest stove to use for a thru hike is. this is more in terms of fuel the stove uses, not so much the cost of the stove. what fuel type is the most cost efficient (not worried about weight right here)?

oh yeah, consider that the stove will be used daily, for 1-2 meals.

[Mags]

Barring weight, a zip stove is the absolute least expensive in fuel costs on a trail such as the AT.

Again, barring weight, a white gas stove (which usually can run on auto gas) is 2nd least expensive.

[chili36]

Save a few bucks on fuel....or carry a few more ounces on a thru hike....


one of life's tough choices.`

[partinj]

I like my snow peak it is a canister stove put out 10.000 btu of heat will get you meals ready long before the zip stove i have a zip stove it not one by sierra it by a swiss company really well made use a C battey to run fan much better than the sierra how ever i can not fine the company any more paid 89.00 for but well worth it just a little on the heady side 1 lbs 12oz. i do take on short hikes. it also has a bigger compart for wood chip to you can try backing mag that where i got the company name from.

[Mags]

I like my snow peak it is a canister stove put out 10.000 btu of heat will get you meals ready long before the zip stove

I believe the question was in terms of fuel costs, though. Canister stoves are probably the most expensive in terms of fuel (maybe Esbit if not bought in discount).

[whitefoot_hp]

Save a few bucks on fuel....or carry a few more ounces on a thru hike....


one of life's tough choices.`

for me, the cost of fuel is more important (funds not unlimited) the rest of my setup is defineately on the light side.

any ball park figures on the amount of money saved by using gasoline over alcohol? not too sure about going the wood route.

using the whisperlite, how long would 11 oz of unleaded gasoline last someone on the trail, boiling about 2-3 cups of water a day?

[Mags]

any ball park figures on the amount of money saved by using gasoline over alcohol? not too sure about going the wood route.

using the whisperlite, how long would 11 oz of unleaded gasoline last someone on the trail, boiling about 2-3 cups of water a day?

Do you already have a white gas stove? If not, it will be ~$65 +/- for the stove, too vs free for an alcohol stove. You may want want to factor that into your equations. You may be able to buy a whisperlitet online for cheap as more people are switching over.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...=32%26fsoo%3D2


Alcohol is cheaper in bulk than buying with HEET, but unless you buy denatured alcohol (vs heet) at a hostel, that is not feasible.

Unleaded is ~$4 a gallon now. Heet is ROUGHLY $2 per 12oz bottle or $20+ a gallon. Ouch.

A gallon of bulk denatured alcohol is ~$15.

I do not know how much hostels currently charge for alcohol or white gas unfortunately.

I've never used unleaded gasoline in a stove, but white gas did last me not quite two weeks (call it 11-12 days) IIRC doing one hot meal and a cup of cocoa. I have not used a whitegas stove for long periods of time since 1998 so my recollection is a little fuzzy.

[whitefoot_hp]

my main fear of alcohol is that it is not always available in small amounts. i dont want to have to buy more than i need just to get what i need.

i am also looking at relying on my stove for more than just water boiling. in order to save money, i want to cook many meals at trail heads after leaving town rather than always relying on restaurants. (not saying i think i can resist them everytime) so i want something that can simmer and fry stuff, and i worry about alcohol stoves and cannisters doing this well. (i know they can in some cases)

so i am leaning toward white gas/ auto gas stove. i dont have one but i dont see the cost of the stove cancelling the out the gained advantage in fuel cost. i eat alot.

[taildragger]

I'd make a wood burner, and maybe have a supercat as backup. There were some cool designs on here for woodies.

Or, you could suspend a pot over a small fire and cook like that for the longer to cook meals (I do this and just use the alcohol for quick meals).

[Mags]

so i am leaning toward white gas/ auto gas stove. i dont have one but i dont see the cost of the stove cancelling the out the gained advantage in fuel cost. i eat alot.

Understandable. If you are doing alot of cooking and using a lot of fuel AND costs are your main concern (in terms of fuel) than a whitegas stove many work for you.

If you want to use unleaded, though, make sure it can burn unleaded! Not all gas stoves can (or at least support it.. )

[whitefoot_hp]

Understandable. If you are doing alot of cooking and using a lot of fuel AND costs are your main concern (in terms of fuel) than a whitegas stove many work for you.

If you want to use unleaded, though, make sure it can burn unleaded! Not all gas stoves can (or at least support it.. )

right on. i am looking at the whisperlite international.

[whitefoot_hp]

I'd make a wood burner, and maybe have a supercat as backup. There were some cool designs on here for woodies.

Or, you could suspend a pot over a small fire and cook like that for the longer to cook meals (I do this and just use the alcohol for quick meals).

i may do some experimenting this fall and winter with wood designs. for a thru, however, i do not want to spend a bunch of time fiddling...

[Bob S]

i may do some experimenting this fall and winter with wood designs. for a thru, however, i do not want to spend a bunch of time fiddling...

It’s a law of life, you spend more money, you get a lot less fiddling you have to do.

You don’t want to spend any money (and this was the main theme in your first post) you are going to have to make your own stove and fiddle with it.

Least amount of money would be a Hobo stove, it can be made out of an old juice can and actually works well.


But you have to fiddle with a can to make it, and fiddle with picking up wood while hiking. But it’s cost is virtually zero other then buying some juice to drink.

[mister krabs]

I don't think a gas stove is cheaper unless you already have one.

Heet vs. Gasoline equation, yes, it's 20+ vs 4$ a gallon, but how much are you actually going to use? Using round numbers of 2 oz a day for 200 days, = 400 oz/128 is just over 3 gallons so roughly 60 bucks vs. 12 for a 48 dollar savings overall. You're going to spend almost twice that on a whisperlite international, then have to worry about maintenance, o-rings, fussing with priming and carrying a nearly one pound stove plus its maintenance kit. I don't know about running it on gasoline full time, it would seem to me that gasoline is dirty compared to white gas, so that you'd have to clean the jets a lot. Does the international have a "shaker jet?" I'd guess that running gas, you'd need it alot.
Note that I am biased, a regular whisperlite was my first stove, followed by a GAZ canister stove and now alcohol.

[mister krabs]

My opinion on the fussiness factor is that fussing with a whisperlite every day adds up to way more total fussing than all the effort you would put into an alcohol stove, even if you made it instead of buying. There's no fussing with alcohol, at all. Fill and light.

Give a shot at making an alky stove one of these days when you're bored, before you spend your money on a gas stove. They're surprisingly easy to make. Try a supercat for the ultimate in no fussing. 1 cat food can, 1 hole punch, done.

[Mags]

Originally the question was about overall fuel costs. Not the price of the stove or futz factors.

As several of us mentioned, a wood stove is the absolute cheapest for fuel esp. on the AT.

But, again not talking about the cost of stove, autogas is the 2nd least expensive (in terms of fuel). As others mentioned (myself included), you do have to buy a stove vs basically free for some wood and alcohol stoves.

BUT, Whiteroot did mention he wants to cook a lot off the trail. That may effect over all fuel use and costs.

As for futz factor..well, that's a different discussion.

Canister stoves are probably the easiest. Closely followed by alcohol. White gas type stoves can be finicky to use. Wood stoves likewise.



So what does all this mean? Choose your poison. As Mr. Krabs mentioned, the price difference is not that much different in the long term. However, if you want to do real cooking, and are using a lot of fuel, a canister stove or white gas is the way to go for relative min. of futz factor vs. a wood stove. Canister stoves are more expensive for fuel than auto gas stoves.

So there you have it. I feel the above is a good, non-biased assessment.

In my BIASED opinion, I still think alcohol stoves are the way to go for most solo hikers, doing basic "boil and eat" type meals for the short resupplies found on the AT. But that's for my hiking style. YMMV.

[mister krabs]

My apologies for going off track, now that the original question is answered, I have one of my own. How do you put a gas pump nozzle in a sigg bottle?

[Alligator]

A gallon of unleaded or white gas is a lot cheaper than a gallon of denatured alcohol. Roughly half the cost compared to the alcohol. What might need to be discussed is where the OP intends to refill? If it's going to be by the ounce at hostels, outfitters, etc., does the price of alcohol vs. white gas vary much at those places? I don't know the answer to that as I typically have my fuel needs covered when sectioning.

[Mags]

If it's going to be by the ounce at hostels, outfitters, etc., does the price of alcohol vs. white gas vary much at those places?

I asked that question myself. Alas, it has been a decade since I've done a long hike on the AT. Perhaps some recent AT hikers could give the price per oz at hostels for alcohol vs. white gas?

I imagine some friendly gas station owners MAY let you fill up at the pump as well.

[Homer&Marje]

Alcohol stove. Methyl can be bought at most gas stations, and you can use anything as low as 70 % isopropyl, although it doesn't burn as hot... if your not concerned about simmering alcohol stove is perfect and free if you have a few cans to spare, durability is fantastic. and if it does break just get a couple empty cans.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...&cutoffdate=-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRt8mNOP2b0